Washiug-machine



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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES VVILGUS, OF WEST TROY, NEV YORK.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,667, dated April 12, 1853.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WILGUS, of West Troy, in the county ofAlbany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Machines for '\Va sh ing Clothes, and Fulling and Flockmg Clothes;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXactdescr1ption of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is anexternal view of the box containing the mechanism for operating upon thearticles placed in the same. This view also shows the arrangement of thesprings which allow of the upper set of the rollers yielding when theclothes pass between it and the lower set. Fig. 2, is a ver ticaltransverse section of the machine through the line as', in Fig. L1a-showing an internal view of the end of the box, and

also the arrangement of the cords and pulleys the former of which areattached to the springs and the upper rollers and which serve to pullthe said rollers back to their proper place after yielding. Fig. 3, is avertical transverse section of the machine through the line g, g, inFig. 4. This view shows the arrangement of the two sets or circles ofrollers for cleansing the clothes and the net cylinder and also thegearing for operating the said rollers and cylinder. There is also shownin red line a counter upon which a sack of clothes are laid and one endof said sack being shown attached to the net cylinder and the other endto cords Fig. ll, is a horizontal section of the machine completethrough the line s, s, in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical transversesection of the same through the red line Mft, in Fig. 4;. This viewshows the net cylinder head and the frame which supports the lowercircle of rollers-it also shows the guides in which the upper rollersslide in as they yield.

Similar lettersof reference in each of the several figures indicatecorresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in the employment of two sets ofhorizontal revolving rollers, which are arranged radially one above theother in circles, within the clothes or washing cylinder. One set beingheld or kept permanently in its proper place by securing the journals ofthe rollers, loosely in fixed spiders or heads-which are secured onfixed hubs, in which the central or main shaft turns, and the other orupper set being allowed to yield when the canvas containing the clothesis drawn bet-ween it and the lower set, by the revolving of the netcylinder, and to spring back by mea-ns of springs, after the canvas haspassed through the rollers. The net cylinder which is used in connectionwith the rollers when the operation of washing is being performed,serves very effectually to feed in the clothes to the rollers. The lowerset being arranged on the inside of, and clo-se to the inner peripheryof the net cyinder, and the outer yielding set being arranged on, oraround the outer periphery of the same. The net being therefore betweenthe two sets of rollers. These rollers are set in motion through coggedgearing, arranged on the main shaft, and on the shafts of the rollers,and the net cylinder is made to revolve by the gearing on the saidshafts working into an internal gear formed in the inner periphery ofthe solid port-ion of the said cylinder.

To enable others to make and use my invention I will proceed to describeits construction and operation.

A, represents the plat-form or foundation upon which the machine rests.

B, is, the barrel or washing cylinder in which 'the water to cleanse theclothes is placed, and in which all the mechanism for operating upon theclothesis arranged.

C, is the horizontal central shaft which turns in stationary hubs orboxes a, a, fitted tightly in other hubs b, b, in which are secured andfastened tothe two heads D, D, of the washing cylinder in the mannershown in Fig. 4. This shaft C, extends along the whole length of thecylinder and passes through and supports the frame which carries thelower set of rollers and through the cross frame of the net cylinder andhas its bearings in the hubs a, a.

E, E, represent the spiders or frames which support the lower circle ofrollers E, E, which are arranged around the inner periphery of the netcylinder Gr, G. These rspiders are always kept stationary as they aresecured fast on the fixed hubs a, a, and are arranged within the netcylinder Gr, Gr, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The journals c, c, of thelower set or circle of horizontal rollers F, F, are secured loosely inthe arms of the spiders E, E', as shown in Figs. vt and 5. These rollersare hung at any suitable distance apart and each may have near each ofits ends a cog wheel H, cut in its periphery or secured on it, the saidcog wheels mashing into the cog wheel l, on the main shaft and therebythe said rollers can be made to revolve while the spiders remainstationary. G, G, is the revolving net cylinder which feeds in thecanvas or sack of clothes to be cleansed. This cylinder is hung looselyon the shaft C, and revolves as the rollers H, H, revolve, they settingit in motion. The netting of this cylinder is secured fast between thetwo circles or flanges d, d, CZ, (Z, to which the cross frame K, isattached in the manner shown in Fig. Ll, the nett-ing being shown in redcolor. On the inner periphery of the circular flanges or ring plates d,d, an internal gear K, is cut or formed into which the cog wheels I, 1,worlr or mash as shown in Figs. 3 and 4C, and thereby the cylinder ismade to revolve. The construction and arrangement of this cylinder isshown clearly in Figs. 3, and l.

L, L, represent the upper set of yielding rollers which are arranged ina circle just above the lower set and around the outside periphery ofthe net cylinder. The netting separating the two sets of rollers fromone another and yet allowing of their coming very near each other asshown in the drawing Fig. 3. The journals e, c, of the upper set ofrevolving yielding rollers are secured loosely in the sliding pieces f,f, Figs. 2, t, and 5, in which they revolve as the canvas of clothespasses around the net cylinder and between the two sets of rollers.These sliding pieces are fitted in guides or ways 7L, 7L, attached tothe heads D, D, and slide in the same back and forth. z', z', are cordswhich pass under the pulleys y', y', secured in the said heads D, D, andconnect the sliding pieces to the springs is, 7c, which are arrangedradially on the outside of the heads D, D, in the manner shown in Figs.1 and 4. These springs allow of the upper rollers yielding as the sashor canvas is drawn between them and the lower ones, and therebypermitting different sized and irregular shaped sacks to be passedbetween them without any strain or breakage.

Z, Z, are the doors through which the clothes are conveyed into themachine.

Operation: The machine being all properly arranged and a sufficientquantity of water put into the same. A piece of canvas or other openclot-h of sufficient length and width to reach quite around the entireperiphery of the net cylinder D, is spread on a table or counter, ofsufficient width and length, and one end attached to the net cylinderGr. This being arranged properly the articles to be cleansed are spreadevenly over and upon the whole surface of the net sack or canvas and thesoap placed or sprinkled on the same; the whole is then neatly foldedwithin the canvas, after which, motion is communicated to the machineand the sack of clothes is drawn into the same and around the netcylinder and between the two sets of rollers. After the machine hasgiven a suflicient number of revolutions to the net cylinder and rollersto cleanse the clothes'from all dirt, the dirty water must be let off atthe bottom of the machine and a fresh supply let in through the topwhile the machine is in operation so that the clothes may be perfectlyrinsed. After the rinsing operation all the water is allowed to run offat the bottom of the cylinder and while this is taking place the machinemust be kept in motion so that all the water shall be expressed from theclothes and that they may be thoroughly wrung and ready to be hung outto dry before they are withdrawn from the machine. By the use of thismachine it will be seen that the whole operation of washing, rinsing andwringing clothes can be performed without any more injury to the clothesthan is commonly experienced when the work is done by hand. To get theclothes out of the machine 1 employ a roller having two cords attachedto it, and which is attached to the farthest end of the table. The saidcords I attach to the sack in the manner shown in Fig. 3 in red, andafter attaching them thus I turn the roller and thereby wind the cordson the same and consequently the sack is drawn out gradually on thetable or counter.

This machine when used for fulling cloths will answer just as wellwithout the netting on cylinder as with it-and in fact it is better todispense with it. In fulling it is only necessary to fold the clothproperly and soap the same and attach one end to the frame of the netcylinder and then setthe machine in motion as before and by the constantrevolving of the rollers and the motion of the cloth between them thecloth will be most perfectly fulled-after which operation it can beentirely stripped of all the grease generally contained in the same andwashed and cleansed thoroughly and rinsed and wrung dry without beingtaken from the machine-after which it is withdrawn and another piece ofcloth inserted.

In flocking the same operation of the machine is necessary as in thecase of fulling. The fine shearings being first laid in between thefolds of the cloth, it is next drawn into the machine folded and afterbeing properly operated upon is withdrawn and another lot introduced.

This machine it is thought is superior to I between the said sets ofrollers-and made to spring back by means of the springs 7c, c, which areconnected to the rollers in the manner substantially as shown, the wholebeing constructed, arranged and operating in the manner described andfor the purpose of washing clothes and fulling and flocking cloths asset forth.

CHARLES WILGUS.

Vitnesses:

O. D. MUNN, EL. PoLHAMUs.'

